8 August 2014, Jinnah Chowk, Multan- two dead bodies were lying on the road, torn and holed with bullets, bathed in blood. Blocking the traffic was a big crowd of passers-by who had stopped to observe a robbed private bank, accompanied by some Police officers who were inspecting the site. On the nooks were some cameras reporting for the massive robbery in the mid of the sunny day, RPO (Regional Police Officer) and SP (Superintendent Police) were assuring to the media to catch the dacoits very soon.
But who were the two dead bodies of? No one was there to mourn for them, all the hustle was in the worry of money stolen from the bank. They were no media attention; for they were not political workers, nor army men, nor lawyers, nor people from any suppressed community. They were private security guards, hired by the Bank administration for security. Dacoits opened free fire on the bank and were resisted by the guards, during the counter attack, they were killed in no time, which lead to robbery of supposedly 60 lacs from the bank.
But there was no one to own these private guards. The robbed money and broken lockers will be re-insured, but the Bank will not fund the orphaned families of the private guards; because they are hired on contract basis from contractor companies. These private guards, who are forced to work due to their financial conditions, are not even paid full wages; most of the times, the 3rd party contractors cut-off half of their salaries, depriving them even from the Lowest wage limit set by the Government. Banks and other companies who hire these guards are reluctant to keep them on permanent basis, and keep them on 2-months contracts basis saving the administration from Labor Law which states that the worker be made permanent employ if he has worked for more than 3 months. But the poor guards are mostly not capable enough to take their plea to court as they are unable to afford the expenditure on judicial procedure.
So the question remains, who is going to own them? Credit them? Or ensure them job security? It is strange how they are not even labelled as “martyrs”, since they are the front targets for any attack on public property; they are actually risking their lives to save the nation from insurgent attacks. Political leaders would not issue monetary grants to their family members. Hundreds of such guards would have died in daily robberies and terrorist attacks, but they would never make it to the headlines. They would only be able to occupy a negligible line at the end of the newspaper report.
Why is their life so invaluable? Why are they not even appreciated for sacrificing their lives for securing the citizens? Why is their blood so cheap?
We as a society, are very immature in choosing and praising our heroes. Just because media doesn’t glorify the valor of the private security guards, they are ignored at mass level and their lives are wasted for nothing.
A fire fly 